Automatic time-switch.



G. J. VANDB GREYN. AUTGMATIG TIME SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED DB0. 1o, 1913.

THE NoRRls PETERSvCo.4 PHDTQLITHO.. WASHINGTON. IJ4 C.

aUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERRIT -I O1-1N VANDE GREEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOIVIAT "J TIME-SWITCH.

Application filed December 10, 1913.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, Gminrr JOHN VANDE Gauvin, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 3133 Carlisle Place, in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Automatic Time-Switch, of which the following` is a specification.

My invention relates to an automatic time switch mechanism to be used with electric lighting circuits or other circuitsfor operating a switch which controls said circuit or circuits in such manner that the circuit is automatically opened at a predetermined time, governed by a cloclr mechanism associated with the switch mechanism, and is by said governing means automaticallyT closed at a predetermined time. One instance of the use of the mechanism is found in applying it to the lighting circuit of a show window in a manner to close the circuit to light the window lights, and to thereafter, after a predetermined period, open the circuits to extinguish the lights.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and compact device which may be readily associated with a simple clock mechanism so that the switch mechanism and the clock occupy comparatively little space.

A further object of the invention is to provide an assemblage of elements, constituting the switch mechanism proper whereby the movable parts are operated in connection with relatively few bearings which support them.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the switch actuating elements may be manually controlled independently of the clock train mechanism, so that the switch may be used as a hand switch, or wherein either circuit opening or closing switch actuating elements may be employed without the corresponding employment of a companion switch element.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings z-Figure 1 is a top plan view of the assembled switch mechanism and controlling clock mechanism. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the switch mechanism. Fig. 3 is an end view thereof. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a portion of the mechanism showing a rotative notched block that is adapted to lit over the finger pieceof an Specification ci' Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

serial No. 805,768.

ordinary rotative snap switch, and showing also the setting levers associated therewith. Fig. 5 is an axial view of the frame casing showing parts of the said setting levers.

The frame of the mechanism embraces standards 10. 10 connected at their upper ends by a cross piece or plate 11- which may be made integral therewith or attached thereto as preferred. The frame comprises also upper and lower cup-shaped casings 12, 13, respectively, the open sides of which face each other. They are arranged, respectively, above and below the horizontal frame member 11 of the frame and the parts are fastened together by means of a central, and two side upright bolts 15, 16, 17, respectively, extending upwardly through the casing ends and said horizontal member 11. Said bolts are provided with spacing sleeves and nuts 18, 19, respectively whereby the parts are rigidly fixed together and held in proper spaced relation.

20, 21 designate setting levers which are pivoted to the central bolt 15 of the frame. Said setting levers are shown as made of flat strips of metal and are provided with inner enlarged disk-like ends 22, 22 which are provided with bearing apertures for the bolt 15. The lever 2O is arranged above the horizontal frame. member 11 and extends radially outwardly between the same and the rim of the upper cup-shaped member 12 (the said rim being cut away to receive the lever) and is provided at its outer end with a hand piece 23. Said lever is formed with a downwardly and inwardly turned guide 21 which is arranged to pass beneath the lower wall of the cup-shaped casing 13.

The lever Q1 lies flat against the lower wall of the lower casing 13 and is turned upwardly and outwardly at its outer end to rise over the rim of said casing, as shown at Q5, and provided with a hand piece 26. The said outer end of the lever is thence turned downwardly and inwardly, as shown at 27, to constitute a guide which is arranged beneath the bottom of the frame casing 13, as best shown in Fig. 5.

30 designates a disk orblock arranged below the lower frame casing 13 and is mounted to rotate on the lower end of the central bolt 15. The said block is provided with a downwardly opening notch 31 (Fig. 11) to tit over the usual key 32 of a rotative snap switch 33 which the mechanism is to control. This construction adapts the switch controlling mechanism to standard switches. Obviously, if desired, the switch proper may be made a` unitary part of the control mechanism. The block or disk 30 is provided at its periphery with a plurality of ratchet projections 35, each of which is spirally formed at one side and has an abrupt face on its opposite side, best shown in Fig. 4E.

36, 36 designates pawls which are attached to and are carried by the levers 20, 21 and are adapted to engage said ratchet projections in such manner that the switch key' 32 may be turned by eitherl of the said levers, independently or' the action of the other lever. The said pawls are spring pressed at their tree ends toward the periphery of the disk 30, and may be so spring pressed in any usual or preferred manner. In the present instance, the spring pressure is etected by making the pawls themselves of spring metal and rounding their inner ends so as to provide, in effect, teeth 38 to engage the projections 35 of the disk. They are shown as attached at their outer ends to the guide projections 24, 27 of the levers 20, 21 by means of pins to which they are connected and about which they are trained in such a way as to press the free ends of the springs toward the disk, as best shown in Fig. f1. Associatedvwith said levers are power springs 40, 4-1' respectively, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 1. Each of said springs is attached at one oit its ends to one of the bolts 16, 17, is curved about the central bolt 15 and spacing sleeve 18, and is attached at its other end to a pin 14, l5 extending upwardlyv fromand arranged eccentrically to the disk shaped ends of the levers 20, 21. The said levers 20, 21 are set against the action of said springs and are locked by means hereinafter described and when released are restored to their non-setting positions by the action of the power springs; and during the restoring movement of the levers the switch is rotated one step through the action of the setting lever and its pawl 36. The setting positions of the levers is indicated-in full lines in Figs. 1 and 4 and in this position of the parts the springs are strained, as indicated most clearlyl in the full line position of the upper spring in Fig. 1. In this strained position of the springs, they are wrappedbetween their ends about the spacing sleeves 18. The said levers 20, 21 are locked in their setting positions by means of locking dogs 50, 51, the toothed outer ends of which dogs engage over the levers in their setting positions, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Said dogs are pivoted to the upper casing member 12 of the frame by pivot pins 52, most clearly shown. in Fig. 3. They tail ends of said locking dogs are engaged by the upper hooked ends of latches 55, 56V which are pivoted to swing vertically on horizontal pivots 57, 58 supported by suitable brackets on the frame. The toothed ends of the lockino' dogs are normally held upwardly away from the setting positions of the levers 20, 21 by spiral contractile springs 60, 61. The latches 55, 56 engage under the tail ends of the dogs to lock them engaged with the setting levers, said latches being adjusted to the dogs when the levers are swung into their setting positions under the toothed ends of the dogs. The said latches are released from the tails of the dogs to permit the latter to in turn release the setting levers, under the iniuence of their springs 60, 61, through the medium of releasing levers 63, 641 which are governed by a suitably arranged clock mechanism, indicated as a whole by 6,5. The release lever 63 is pivoted at its end remote from the clock mechanism by means of a pivot pin 66 to a frame bracket 67 and said lever extends, between its ends, through the apertured lower end of the releasing latch 55. The release lever 6st is pivoted between its ends by means of a pivot pin 68 to al frame bracket 69, and the tree end of said lever extends into the apertured lower end of the latch 56. The ends of said levers adjacent to the clock are adapted for engagement by arms of winding keys 70, 71 associated with alarm clock trains of the clock mechanism. rhe said clock mechanism is provided with two setting dials 72, 73 associated, respectively, with the rotative winding keys TO, 71. The arrangement is such that the rotation of each of the keys 70, 71 acts on its associated lever to release its latch from the associated dog and to thereby allow the setting lever controlled thereby to be restored under the action of its power spring. During the restoration of the setting lever, said lever acts, through its pawl 36 and the disk 30, to rotate the switch one step, and to thereby close or open the circuit, depending upon the relation and adjustment of the parts.

The angular spacing of the ratchet projections (they are shown as spaced 90 degrees apart) and the relation of the setting levers andthcir pawls is such that swinging movement of each lever through an arc of 9G degrees, in setting the lever, carries the tooth 38 of its pawl rom one ratchet projection 35 to the next rear projection. This.,

movement. of the setting lever is independent of, and produces no corresponding movement of, the switch block 30 or the companion setting lever. `When both levers are set, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4f, the pawls 36 engage diametrically opposite ratchet projections. So also when both setting levers are released. When one pawl is set and the other is released, the pawls are engaged with adjacent ratchet projections. rllhe said alarm clock trains or analogous mechanism are adapted to be set one independently of the other so that the operation of releasing one of the setting levers and the consequent actuation ot the switch is independent of the operation ot' the other setting lever. In F ig. 4 the two setting levers, as shown in ull lines, may be assumed to be set in such manner that one is adapted to be released for closing the lighting circuit of a show window, and the other adapted to be released to open said circuit. The dotted line position of the lever 2O shows its vposition after it has been released to close the circuit and to turn on the light. Therotation or" the disk B0 has brought the tooth of the pawl 36 of the companion lever 2l into proper position to engage one of the ratchet projections of the disk so that when it is released, it will turn the disk and the switch one-quarter of a turn to open the circuit.

It will be obvious from the foregoing, that either of the settingl levers may be turned the required angular distance to engage the pawl with an appropriate notch of the disk 3() and released to rotate said disk and the switch to thereby effect what may be termed a manual operation of the switch. It will also be apparent that either of the said le vers may be thus manipulated independently7 of the other. lt is turther apparent that either of said levers may be locked or set in position by its appropriate locking mechanism and thereafter released by its associated clock mechanism, independently ot the other. Therefore, it becomes practicable to open the circuit by manual means and close it by automatic or clock controlled means, and vice versa.

I claim as my invention.:

1. A clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising, in combination, a rotative switch actuating member, two spring restored setting` levers Swingable on an axis concentric to that of said rotative member and provided with independently operable means for connecting them to said rotative member to independently operate the latter, means tor locking said levers in setting positions, and clock controlled means for rel leasing the locking means.

2. A clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising, in combination, a rotative switch actuating member. two spring restored setting levers swingable on an axis concentric to that oit said rotative member and provided with independently operable means for connecting them to said rotative member, locking dogs engaging said levers to lock them in setting position, latches for locking the dogs, and time controlled release levers actin@ on said latches.

3. A clock controlled electric switch mech anism comprising, in combination, a rota` tive switch actuating member provided with a series of ratchet notches, two setting levers swingable on an aXis concentric to that ot said rotative member, pawls carried by said levers and engaging said notches, means tor locking said levers in setting positions, and clock controlled means for releasing said locking means. n

Ll. A clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising, in combination, a rotative switch actuating member provided with a series of ratchet notches, two setting levers swingable on an aXis concentric to that of said rotative members, pawls carried by said levers and engaging said notches, means for locking` said levers in setting positions, pivoted. release levers for releasing said locking means and both extending in the same direction from said mechanism, and a single clock movement having supplemental trains for controlling said release levers,

A clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising, in combination, a rotative switch actuating member provided with a. series ot ratchet notches, two setting levers swingable on an axis concentric to that et the said rotative member, pawls carried by said levers and engaging said notches,means for locking said levers in setting positions, a clock provided with two supplemental or alarm trains and release levers connected to said locking means and adapted to be actuated by said supplemental trains to release the locking means.

6. In a clock controlled electric switch mechanism, the combination with a rotative switch actuating member provided with loo ratchet notches, each spirally curved at one side and having an abrupt tace at its other side, spring restored setting levers swingable on an aXis concentric to that of the axis of the rotative member, spring actuated pawls carried by said levers and engaging said notches, with means for locking the setting levers and for releasing the same, said notches and pawls being so related that the release of one of the levers to rotate the switch actuating member acts to carry said rotative member into position for engagement of another ratchet notch with the pawl ot the other setting lever, whereby said latter lever, when released, is in position to actuate the rotative switch actuating member.

7. A clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising a rotative switch actuating member, two setting levers swingable on an axis concentric to that of said member and provided with means tor rotating said member when restored from setting position, with means to lock said levers in setting position, and release levers connected to said locking means and extending in the same di rection from the mechanism, combined with a clock at one side of the mechanism provided with two supplemental alarm trains adapted to control said release levers.

8. A clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising a rotative switch actuating member, two levers swingable on an axis concentric to that of the said rotative member, power sprnigs connected to said setting levers and against the action of which the levers are swung to their setting positions, loc ring means for locking the said levers in setting position, comprising swingable dogs to engage said levers, springs acting on the dogs to normally swing them away from the levers, locking latches engaging the dogs and acting against said latter springs to hold the dogs in locking position and clock controlled release means for said latches.

9. n clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising a frame consisting of a frame member and cup-shaped casings on opposite sides thereof with their open sides facing each other, a central bolt extending through the frame and cup-shaped members, a rotative switch actuating member mounted on said bolt, and provided with ratchet notches, setting levers swingable on said bolt and provided with spring pressed pawls `which engage the ratchet notches of said switch actuating member, locking means for said levers, springs attached to said levers and said casings for restoring said levers from their setting positions, and clock controlled release means for releasing said locking means.

l0. A clcclcontrolled electric switch mechanism comprising a frame consisting of a frame member, cup-shaped casings on opposite sides thereof with their open sides facing each other, a central bolt extending through the frame member and said casing, a rotative switch actuating member mounted on the central bolt and provided with ratchet l notches, setting levers swingable on said bolt and located on opposite sides of said frame member and provided with spring pressed pawls which engage said ratchet notches,

springs connecting said levers and casings for restoring said levers from their setting positions, locking means for the levers and clock controlled means for releasing the locking means, the restoring spring for each of said levers being attached at one end t0 its associated casing and at its other end to a pin eccentricallv mounted on said lever and curved about said central pivot bolt, whereby when the lever is set the spring is strained about said bolt.

ll. el. clock controlled electric switch mechanism comprising a frame consisting or" a frame member, cup-shaped casings on opposite sides of said member with their open sides facing each other, a central bolt eX- tending through the frame member and casings, a rotative switch actuating member mounted on said bolt and provided with ratchet notches, setting levers swingable on said bolt and provided with spring pressed pawls which engage the ratchet notches of said switch actuating' member, springs attached to said levers and said casing i'or restoring said levers from their setting positions, locking means for the levers and clock controlled release means for releasing the locking means, said setting levers being provided at their outer ends with inwardly turned parts which have guiding engagement with one of said casings.

GEBR-IT JOHN VANDE GREYN.

lWitnesses JOHN M. CHERRY, JOHN H. SHEA.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

